PGA Championship 2019 Betting Preview, Odds and Tips

The second official golf Major of the year takes place at Bethpage Black Course this week, with the world's best making their way to New York for the US PGA Championship - a couple of months shy of the tournaments usual slot.

15th May 2019
| By: Colm Phelan

PGA Championship 2019 Betting Preview, Odds and Tips

Quick Bets:

The PGA of America moved the event forward from being the final Major of the year in a bid to increase the significance of the tournament, ditching the title of 'Glory's Last Shot'. They picked a perfect month to do so, with interest in the sport sky-rocketing after Tiger Woods ended a 10-year-long wait for a Major at The Masters in April.

Speaking of Mr Woods, he returns to the tee box for the first time since he rolled back the years at Augusta. The mercurial 43-year-old entered Sunday within two shots of then-leader Francisco Molinari, shooting a 2- par 70 to claim his 15th Major title - much to the delight of fans around the world.

After initially opening at 9/1 favourite for the tournament with the best bookies, Woods' absence from the limelight has seen him drift out to 13/1 shot, pegging him as a joint-third favourite. Leading the betting are the two men who fell short behind him at Augusta, fellow Americans Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.

US PGA 2019 Outright Odds

Long-hitters Johnson and Koepka, both priced at around 11/1, lead the way in the market. It's no surprise to see the duo at the summit, both have been in sensational form recently.

Koepka recently returned to the fray at the At&T Byron Nelson last week where he finished in fourth, carding a gross score of -20. Brooks, who some have dubbed Mr Major, has a habit of showing up when it matters most as he's proved with three Major wins in recent years, including this very tournament last season. He can be backed at 11/1 best price with Unitbet, and there is not reason to believe he won't be there or thereabouts come Sunday.

World No.1 Dustin Johnson is joint-favourite for the tournament at 11/1 with BetVictor. Johnson is always a force to be reckoned with, with his prowess off the tee and much-improved wedge and iron play (seventh in strokes gained from tee-to-green) earning him finishes of T10, third and T2 in his last five Major starts.

Next up at the top of the betting is the rest of team Nike with Tiger Woods (13/1) and Rory McIlroy (11/1) finishing up top-four market leaders all hovering within a few points of each other. The Tiger effect will be in full swing this week with big, rambunctious New York crowds expected to flock Bethpage.

Rickie Fowler - still chasing his elusive first Major - makes for an interesting each-way punt at 22/1 with William Hill while Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and the impressive Xander Schauffele can also be considered in similar fashion.

US fans will be hoping golden boy Jordan Spieth can reclaim his old form, with the 25-year-old's outings this year leaving a lot to be desired. He's available at 60/1 with Redzone, perhaps a testament to how poorly he has played of late.

Previous US PGA Winners

As mentioned previously, Koepka won this tournament last year, finishing a total of -16 for 72 holes. Other big names in previous years to have their names engraved on the trophy include Justin Thomas in 2017, although he was recently forced to pull out due to a nagging wrist injury.

Rory has two titles after storming to victory in both 2012 and 2014, while Tiger has an obvious history in the event, with four of his fifteen Majors coming in the PGA Championship.

However, the tournament isn't just catered for the summit of the world rankings. Scattered in with previous champions include long-shots Jimmy Walker in 2016 who won at 100/1 odds, while Keegan Bradley also emerged victorious at a huge price of around 200/1 back in 2011.

Can Tiger Woods win the 2019 PGA Championship?

Bethpage Black Course is a notoriously difficult track, coming in at a whopping 7,468 yards for a par 70. Back in 2002, during arguably the peak of his powers, Woods was the only player to finish under par here when winning the US Open with a score of -3.

Punters worried by Woods' absence since the Masters can rest easy, this decision represents a new version of golf's prodigal son. Where Woods' would once play through all the aches, pains and career-threatening injuries, a new plan going forward will see him skip certain tournaments in the lead up to key events to ensure he is prime condition.

Tiger transcended the sport with his power off the tee in the early noughties, and while the new generation have adopted their idol's power, he is still no slouch off the tee, despite his age and injury history.

Perhaps, more importantly, he enters this week first for greens in regulation percentage in the entire field. This statistic could prove to be the most vital metric this week, as was the case throughout most of the course's history. Bethpage's features small poa annua greens that are well protected by bunkers. Any shots gained prior to reaching the dancefloor will be critical and this is where Tiger has excelled. You can do much worse than the 13/1 offered with Betfred.

2019 PGA Championship Recommended Bets

One of the unknowns coming into this tournament is the course, which has only held four events in the last decade including two US Opens. The track is also set up for longer hitters, and I would steer clear from anyone who struggles with distance off the tee. Expect a low winning score here.

At the top of the market, I like Rory McIlroy, with Paddy Power offering 11/1 and ten places seeming a steal. Rory ranks near the top for all of the important scoring statistics, and his form this year - one win, seven top 10s and multiple top 5s - can't be overlooked.

If he makes it to Sunday in the mix and can avoid cold-putting streak - something which has plagued him - there is a really good chance that 11/1 could look like a bargain. He has a top 10 finish at this course to his name from the 2009 US Open when he was only entering the professional stage. Not much has been said about him in the build-up, and when the pressure is off Rory often delivers.

Another player to look out for this week is Sergio Garcia. The temperamental Spaniard has a history of performing well here, and he's coming off a second and sixth place finish in recent weeks, so he is in a nice run of form. Garcia is long off the tee and produces straight, low ball flights - something that will benefit him with windy conditions predicted.

He's finished T3 T10 at Bethpage before, and could well be hitting form at exactly the right time. As an added incentive to bet on Garcia, he is remarkably better putter on poa annua greens - 11 out of the 16 times he's played on them he has gained strokes on the field. For a more speculative punt, take him with Paddy Power at 45/1 each-way, 10 places. There is plenty to like about his chances this week.